


Civil Rites

by vjs2259



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-03-22
Updated: 2008-03-22
Packaged: 2017-12-08 07:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/758946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vjs2259/pseuds/vjs2259
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during Season 2. One of the traditional duties of a ship's captain is to officiate at weddings. John shows Delenn how it's done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Civil Rites

**Author's Note:**

> Standard disclaimer applies; not my characters or settings or backgrounds. But they are my words.

 

John Sheridan was struggling with the collar of his dress uniform, which stubbornly refused to fasten correctly. He was going to be late if this took much longer; and Commander Ivanova would not doubt have some choice words for his lack of punctuality.

He finally got the thing fastened, and was double-checking himself in the mirror, when the door chime sounded. _Damn_ , he thought, _now I really will be late_.

"Come!" he shouted tersely, while re-attaching his link. He always took it off in the shower. Everyone assured him it was waterproof, and he believed it, but really, who wanted to be contacted in the shower anyway? He hoped this wouldn't take long.

"Captain?"

He turned quickly at the sound of her voice, his impatience gone. Somehow, he could always find time for the Minbari ambassador.

"I wanted to drop off these papers you asked for in this morning's meeting."

He nodded, and replied, "Thanks for bringing those. You didn't have to do it yourself; I'd have sent someone around."

"It was my pleasure." She wondered what he would say if she added that the pleasure was in seeing more of him. Curious, she asked, "Is there some ceremony which you are attending this afternoon?" At his look of surprise, she gestured towards him and added, "That is the dress uniform, for formal occasions, am I correct?"

"Oh, yes. I am on my way to a wedding…" he searched his mind for the words, "A ritual of joining."

"Oh!" she replied, moving closer to him, her dress swirling around her ankles as she moved. "Is it someone you know?"

He watched for a moment fascinated. In motion, she was like a dancer, all grace and liquid motion. She moved like water flowing across the floor. "Well, I do know them, but not personally. Jenkins is a pilot in Delta Squadron, and Ash is a StarFury maintenance technician, a civilian out here on contract from BISD. Actually my role is to officiate."

She wrinkled her forehead, puzzled at this. "Is that usually not the job of a family elder or religious leader?"

"Ah," he replied, leaning closer to her, trying to identify that scent she was wearing. It must be something unique to Minbar, he thought, something like a mixture of cinnamon and lemon. "Ship captains from time immemorial have had the pleasure and responsibility of officiating at weddings when the crew is on a mission. And while I no longer have a ship, I am military governor here, and representative of the civil authority of the Earth Alliance. In short, I am qualified to say the words and sign the forms. It's perfectly legal."

"I do not doubt it." She smiled, then hesitantly asked, "I wonder, would it be inappropriate to ask if I might observe your ritual? I have never seen a human wedding ceremony. Would the couple mind?"

John didn't know what to say to this, but was luckily interrupted by the door chiming again. "Come!" he said loudly, wondering who is was this time, and why he seemed to never get any uninterrupted time with Delenn.

Susan walked in, also in her dress uniform, and addressed him brusquely, "You're still here. I knew you would be. Come one, everyone's waiting." Then, as she caught sight of Delenn, she added, "I'm sorry, Delenn. I didn’t see you at first. Captain, shall I let them know you will be a little late?"

John took the opportunity to pass the buck, "Actually, Susan, I was telling Delenn where I was headed, and she wanted to know if Ash and Jenkins would mind her coming along to observe. What do you think? You know Jenkins pretty well, don't you?"

Susan thought for only a moment before answering, "I don't think either would notice. They're both as nervous as cats right now. Besides, I stopped by Jenkin's Last Night party…she had all of Delta Squadron there, and by the end, she was going around the Zocalo inviting random strangers to the ceremony. I'm not sure anyone knows exactly who will turn up!"

"Good," John said firmly, then offered his arm to Delenn. "Let's go. I don't want to be too late; although they really can't start without me!"

 

"Susan, what is a Last Night? You mentioned Pilot Jenkins had one; is it another ceremony?" asked Delenn as they walked down the corridor to the turbolift.

"They used to be called Bachelor or Bachelorette parties. Sort of a last fling before you can't party anymore…the Last Night of freedom, I guess," answered Susan good-naturedly.

"So marriage is viewed as captivity of some sort?" Delenn asked with some concern. "Is this not a joyous occasion for you then? Perhaps it is more of a transaction?"

"No, no," answered John, as he frowned at Susan. "It's just a silly tradition. The marriage ceremony is quite old, and very moving."

"I really don't know much about the institution," said Susan, shrugging her shoulders. She was trying hard not to laugh at John's anxious attempts to reassure Delenn.

As they approached the hangar deck where the couple had insisted on holding the ceremony, they ran into more and more people. It was a swirling mix of civilians, officers and enlisted personnel; but the crowd parted before them like a knife was cutting through it. There were four people standing by the window looking out into the hangar bay, and John headed for them. Susan guided Delenn to a spot near enough to see and hear what was going on, but away from most of the crowd.

"Which two are being joined?" Delenn whispered, her head next to Susan's so as not to disturb anyone with her question.

"That's Jenkins." Susan pointed to a young female officer in dress kit, tugging at the waistband of her jacket. She was smiling broadly as she did so, her brown curls loose around her shoulders and her eyes bright as she looked around at the crowd. "And that's Ash. The other two are their attendants; friends who stand up for you at a wedding. Ash looks lovely; I've never seen her out of her coveralls, and they're generally covered with graphite and oil. You'd never pick her for an expert on StarFury engine design and maintenance, would you?"

Ash was wearing a knee length silvery-green dress, which hugged her small frame. Her blonde, almost white hair, and blue eyes made her look unworldly, although the effect was lessened by a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She was extremely petite, and barely stood to Jenkins' shoulder. John dwarfed them both. He spoke quietly, but the crowd grew so still that his words echoed in the cavernous space. The words were simple, and timeless, and Delenn's eyes stung a bit from the emotion they generated. She looked around, and noticed that several in the crowd, male and female, were surreptitiously wiping their eyes. Even Susan seemed affected by the mood, and let out a small snuffle when the two women kissed.

In what seemed like a few moments, it was over. Delenn watched in interest as John kissed first one woman, and then the other. Then the crowd moved in on the happy couple, shaking their hands, hugging them, clapping them on the back. There were several loud popping noises, and Delenn started, looking around for the source of the small explosions. Suddenly, John was there, taking hold of her arm again, and smiling down at her, "Just champagne corks. The place will be swimming with drunken revelers soon. We'd better leave. The presence of the station commander will just dampen the party mood." He gave Susan a friendly salute, as she headed towards Jenkins to offer her friend her own congratulations.

"So, what did you think?" John couldn't understand why that question took on an aura of vital importance suddenly. None of his reactions made any sense whenever he was around Delenn.

"It was very beautiful. And very short! I do not think you would enjoy the Minbari joining rituals quite so much."

John bit his tongue before the words rushed out. He'd been about to say he wouldn't mind, not with the right person. What was wrong with him today? It must be the marital atmosphere. As he'd stood there, reciting the familiar lines, he'd been unable to keep from thinking of Anna. The sadness that had lingered through the ceremony seemed to dissipate in the light of Delenn's smile and eager questions.

"Is it common among your people for two females to join? Does it ever occur with males?" Delenn's asked with interest, as they walked along.

"Oh, it was quite the controversy a couple of hundred years ago, before the Earth Alliance was founded. First one state, one country, one religion; and then another, and then another, permitted people of the same sex to marry. Once everyone saw the sky wasn't going to fall, it became legal everywhere. There are many varieties of unions these days; everything from temporary, time-limited contracts to 'til death do us part' traditional marriages." John answered easily. "Some religious groups still don't perform what they call same-sex marriages, but the Alliance has declared them a viable type of civil union, just like all the others. The various religions are free to specify restrictions on their rituals, of course, but all the basic rights are guaranteed in the Constitution."

"I see." Delenn looked lost in thought for a moment.

John asked, a trifle awkwardly, "What about the Minbari? What is your joining ceremony like?"

She smiled up at him briefly, then grew a bit solemn, "There are many rituals and traditions surrounding joining. We take it quite seriously, sometimes too seriously, I think. I liked your ceremony; everyone seemed so happy."

He nodded, "I'm sure your traditions are pleasant as well."

“Some of them are,” she said demurely, looking up at him from lowered eyes, wondering whether it would be proper to continue the discussion. Her composure always slipped when conversation with him turned remotely personal.

“I’d like, I mean, if it would be okay…,” he stumbled over the words. Why was it so hard sometimes to speak to her? “Maybe you could teach me about them. I’d love to learn more.”

She hit him full in the face with a brilliant smile, “I would like that.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
